Home on the Road
by haleyelizabeth
Summary: We all know the cast of 'What I Like About You' has enough going on as is, but what happens when you stick them all in a bus & send them on a road trip to New Hampshire with two new female characters? Better than it sounds; Rated 'T'
1. Accidental Introductions

**Title: Home on the Road**

**Author: x3MisfitxToyx3 **

**Characters: Basically everyone in WILAY**

**Rating: 'T' for totally awesome L;**

**Summary: The gang goes on a road trip from New York to New Hampshire; full of random events, romance, & humor. **

**Setting: New York Cittaaaayyyyy! **

**Warning(s): Sexual humor. Dirty… but, in some cases, quite amusing. **

**Disclaimer: Plot is mine but all the characters of WILAY are not. Boo. **

**Author's Note: I found this on my computer & decided it was finally time to upload it. This is for you, Emily! ;D **

**Mood: Rebellious**

**Listening to: Walk Away (Paula DeAnda Cover) by The Wide Awake**

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**Chapter 1: Accidental Introductions**

Haley, now seventeen, and Emily, eighteen, had changed a lot since they'd gotten out of high school. They were walking up to the New York apartment entrance to see the loft they'd rented for the winter. Summer turned into fall and, without the return of school, the two friends decided it'd be fun to rent a loft and spend the remanded of the year in New York before they headed off for college.

"It's at the end of this hall I think." Haley said lugging a huge carryon behind her. Emily was dragging about five bags of clothes and necessities along as she barged up the stairs.

"Haley, I swear to God, if I have to go all the way back down those stairs, I'm gunna' kick you."

Haley laughed off the comment and used the key to unlock the door.

They didn't have a free hand to close the door so they just left it open and ran inside, dropping bags as they went.

"This place is stocked!" Haley said plopping down on the sofa. Emily ran up the stairs and ran back down in two seconds.

"We've got beds!" She yelled jumping over the last four steps.

Haley got up and began searching through the rest of the loft. "Well, this room is rented out to people. It's kind of like a retro hotel, in a sense."

Emily bounded over to fridge and threw open the door, only to get a disappointed look on her face.

"I thought you said it was stocked…"

"Duh. Not the fridge. We've gotta buy the food."

Just when she was about to complain, there was a knock on the open door.

"Uh, hey. I found this on the staircase. Is there any chance it's yours?"

Haley turned around on the couch to see a guy with spiky brown hair pointing to her blue makeup bag in his hand.

She squinted her eyes and shot Emily a death glare.

"What? You can't expect me to carry fifty bags and not drop one!"

She rolled her eyes and walked over to retrieve the bag. "Yeah, thanks. We kinda had a lot to carry."

The guy looked over her shoulder to the luggage littering the ground and gave her a questioning look. Haley realized what he was looking at and laughed. "Yeah, we just moved in here for the rest of the year. Thought it'd be fun to go to New York before college."

"Ah." he said watching Emily dig around noisily through the cabinets for any sign of food.

"Do you live in the apartment?"

"Yeah, but I live at the other end of the hall with my two friends."

"That's cool. Oh, I'm Haley by the way… and that's, uh, Emily."

"Vince."

He held a hand and Haley shook it with a smile.

"Well, I've gotta get going. I'm supposed to be meeting someone."

Emily jumped up from behind the counter and replied, "Thanks for bringing the bag back!"

He held a hand, gesturing that it was no big deal, and slipped back through the doorway as Haley shut it behind him.

"Well, he seemed…nice." Emily said plopping next to her friend on the couch.

Haley raised an eyebrow.

"So you think he's nice?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

"Nothing more than that?"

"Uh, er. No."

"You sure you're not thinking something else as well?"

It was now a stare down between the girl in the purple and the girl in the blue. After a few seconds, Emily gave in and admitted loudly, "Okay! Okay! You've seen through me! I was also, maybe, thinking he was incredibly… good-looking."

"I knew it! I knew it!" Haley yelled jumping up off the couch. Emily gave her a shove in the arm.

"Whatever. Now can we please go get some food?"

"Hoping to run into Vince, are we?"

Another shove in the arm.

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Let me know what you think; write, read, review!

So I wrote this about a year ago, no lie. Ahaha. It's funny to look back & read something you wrote so long ago…


	2. Unexpected Invite

Chapter 2: Unexpected Invite

**Haley slipped on her blue and green cropped jacket and grey knit hat slowly as Emily grabbed her tan jacket, with matching fedora, and put it on as they walked. **

"**I had no idea the fall would be this cold!", Haley mentioned rubbing her arms, "We need something hot." **

**Her friend ran over to a bakery window and started jumping up and down. "Food! Warmth! **_**Sanctuary**_**!" **

"**Sugar Babies?", Haley read the name off the entrance window, "Kind of a strange name.. but alright." **

**Walking into the bakery was like walking straight into an oven. A wave of coffee smells hit them and carried them all the way to the counter. **

**The girl who walked out from the backroom was wearing a light blue apron with a pink sweater, mixing into the sixties flowery décor. **

**Her curly bleach blonde hair bounced as she practically jumped over to the register. **

"**What can I get you gals?" she asked in a cheery tone. **

**Emily's eyes scanned the neon menu boards overhead before she ordered, "Uh, I'll have a large French vanilla coffee… and a chocolate cupcake, please." **

**The girl whirled around and as the coffee pot filled up, she asked, "So you gals live around here? I don't think I've ever seen you." **

**Haley explained their situation after she ordered her medium tea with extra cream and sugar and a vanilla cupcake. **

"**Well, be sure to come back soon! And tell all your friends about us!" The lady said. **

**Just as Haley was just about to say they didn't really know anybody in New York yet, Emily blurted, "We just moved here… don't really know anyone." **

**They paid for the food and the girl behind the counter said, "Oh. Well, I'm Val Tyler." **

**She held out a hand for them to shake and then they talked briefly about their lofts and soon realized that they were in the rooms next to one another. **

**They were still talking when a girl with long light brown and blonde highlights hair came in and walked right up to Val. **

"**Val! I need help!" The girl started a run-on sentence about someone named Tina and some guy named Gary. **

"**And you know how I had wanted to go down to that lodge near the lake in New Hampshire? The cute one with the ice skating place? Yeah, that. Well, no one wants to go. I mean I already bought two more tickets. **

**One for this girl I set Ben up with, Amber, but he didn't seem to like her, yeah, I knew it wouldn't last. And now he's all depressed and doesn't want to go. **

**And Gary insisted that since he found out Jill works at that new boutique that he could convince her to come and then he persuaded me to buy the ticket by playing the best friend card but she turned him down… again. So he's all sad too and doesn't want to go either! And I'm not going to spend the whole vacation with just Tina and Vince!" **

**Haley and Emily stood gripping their food, listening intently on the soap opera story and just as Val was about to open her mouth and say something, the girl kept going. **

"**And so I promised Gary I'd find some hot girls to give the tickets to and that's the only reason he wants to go now. I JUST persuaded Ben to come anyways, and he doesn't know about the girls, that's Gary's bargain, and now Ben's not gunna' have a good time! I don't know what to do!" **

**As soon as it was obvious her speech was over and she laid her head down on the counter, Val hesitantly asked, "Why did you set Ben and that girl up if you knew it wouldn't last?" **

"**He's not good at going out and getting a girlfriend himself." **

**Val had a weary look on her face. **

"**Wouldn't you think that he'd find someone when he was ready?" **

**The girl groaned at Val's advice. **

"**But Gary is going only when I find two people to invite and I can't find anyone!" **

**Val looked like she had a reasonable answer for her but held off and introduced Haley and Emily, probably remembering that they didn't know anyone. **

"**Hey, Holly!", Val said, "This is Haley and Emily! They're living in the loft next to ours for the rest of the year before college. They don't really know anyone yet and-" **

**She didn't have to finish the statement before Holly's head snapped up and looked at the two girls frozen awkwardly in their spot. **

"**Oh my God!", she yelled, "You guys are pretty hot, wanna' go on a road trip?!" **

**Emily and Haley exchanged glances. **

"**Wait, what?" Haley asked a little taken back by the sudden question. **

"**Uh! Okay! Sure! It's a good thing we didn't unpack yet!" Emily yelled taking a step back. **

* * *

**M'kay, so how was the second chapter? What's that? I can't hear you! I bet I'd be able to if you left a review… **


	3. Departing on Friday

Chapter 3: Departing on Friday 

**It was decided that they'd leave in five days, on Friday. So the whole week Emily, Haley, and Holly talked about who was going, what to bring, and what was at the lodge. By Friday, they'd met Tina, and you could've guessed that they'd all known each other since preschool. **

"**Okay! Okay! So after that he was trying to act all straight." Emily said through a fit of laughter. **

**Tina, Haley, and Holly were all sitting on the couches in the bakery next to her and they were all cracking up laughing at this story she was telling. **

"**Pft. Sure, **_**he was about as straight as a circle**_**." Haley laughed. **

**Bags of luggage were circled around them as they waited for Vince and Ben to meet them there and for Gary to get off his shift. **

"**So are Ben and Vince here yet?" Tina asked picking her coffee cup up off the table. **

"**Oh yeah! They haven't even met them yet!", Holly realized, "I mean, they've met Vince once last week, but not Ben." **

"**Well, they have the rented bus, so it's not even like we can ditch them." Tina said smirking. **

"**Tina!" Haley said softly slapping her hand. **

"**What was that for?" **

"**It teaches you discipline." she pointed out putting down her mug and smiling. **

**Emily jumped off the couch in her schoolgirl skirt, black boots, and big pink sweater. **

"**I think I hear a car!" she cooed running to the window. Haley flipped out and jumped over a stool shaped like a Folgers's coffee can to the window. Sure enough, a big bus was waiting for them outside. **

**Holly rushed over and opened the door for them. "Guys! You finally made it! We thought you wouldn't come!" **

"**Are you kidding? I couldn't wait for this." Vince said smiling back at her. **

**Haley leaned over to Tina. "Are they going out? They seem real close." **

**Tina rolled her eyes and whispered back, "They have history." **

**After that she decided to leave the subject alone and, instead, focused her attention on the guy walking around inside the vehicle. **

"**Who's he?" she asked again. **

"**That's Ben. Holly and him went out, now just friends, blah, blah, blah, same old story. You know how it is." **

**Gary came out from behind the counter and took off his apron in one fellow swoop. **

"**Shift's over. Let's get going ladies." **

**Gary wiggled his eyebrows at Emily, who laughed, and then at Haley, who's expression was a mixed emotion of a smile and confusion. **

**Gary walked over to Holly and said, "Ya' done good, Holly. Ya' done good." **

**She shoved him in the arm and they both began bringing the luggage to the bus they'd have to drive in for the weekend. Lauren, who they had met last week, came out from behind the counter and looked over the two new girl's outfits. **

"**Hrm, I see." **

**She came over and gripped the grey tank top that Haley was wearing underneath her tight V-neck peach sweater and pulled it down a little bit. **

"**Uh, Lauren?" she asked. **

"**Ya' gotta' show off a little more cleave for your new boy friends.", Lauren said causing Haley to start laughing, "You two sweetie." She motioned to Emily. **

**Emily leaned over and whispered in her ear. "You should see what I've got on underneath the sweater." **

**Lauren sniffed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I applaud your dedication." **

**Gary, Vince, and Tina were all in the bus when Holly came back in to say goodbye to Val. **

"**Aw, I'm gunna miss you guys." Val said hugging her sister. **

"**Me too. We'll be back soon." **

**They all walked to the bus. It was actually like an oversized trailer, big enough for the seven of them. It looked like an ordinary house on wheels, with a table that folded into a bed, a couch, a small bathroom, and a bundle of bunk beds in the back. **

"**We're going to want to kill each other by the end of the weekend!" Haley exclaimed dragging a smaller bag to put on an overhead shelf. **

**Vince was driving, since he had the most driving experience, and Ben was sitting in shotgun. **

"**So Gary is, like, expecting us to be like extremely provocative, right?" Emily whispered from the couch, making sure that Gary, who was up front, didn't hear. **

"**You guys are here as friends. That was the only way I could get him to come and, ya' know, and I already bought his ticket." Holly joked. **

* * *

**Sorry if this one's kind of short :b I don't know, it just seemed short to me. Haha? **

**Hey. **

**Hey, you. **

**See that button down there? **

**The one with the green writing on it. **

**Yeah. **

**Click it. **


	4. Formulating Progress

**Chapter 4: Formulating Progress**

It was hours later on a road in early Connecticut around five, when Haley got brave enough to go to the front of the bus.

"Hey", she said smiling, "Do you guys know what you're doing?"

There was a map laid out over the dashboard and she was assuming they might not have the best idea of how to get through the state.

"Pft. Ah, yeah!" Vince said confidently.

Ben turned in his seat and looked at her as she shot Vince a doubtful look that he saw in the rearview mirror.

"Fine. But I'm not lost."

She smiled down at Ben who was looking at her from his seat.

"Hey, you're the girl I haven't met yet. Sorry, I was trying to get everything loaded on the bus before we left. Holly told me she was inviting a couple of friends." he said in a British accent.

She was surprised by his accent and before she could say anything else, Emily came bounding down the isle in very, very small pink pajama shorts and a gray tank top.

"Did I just hear an accent?", she said looking at Ben, who waved to her, "Holy crap! You're foreign!"

"Uh, I suppose." he said nervously.

Emily looked at Haley's face, which was struggling not to laugh at her sudden excitement.

Then she looked at Ben's face.

Then at Vince, who was laughing.

Then back at Haley.

"I was… just leaving." she said and bounded back down the isle.

"Uh, that was Emily." Haley said nervously as she sat down on the armrest of the passenger chair.

"She seems quite… friendly?"

After a few quite moments of unfolding another map, Haley stood up and said, "Try not to get lost." and ran down the isle before Vince could argue that he was, in fact, _not_ lost.

She went over to the back two sets of bunk were the four girls were staying. Prying open a brown luggage case, she pulled out her pajamas of a pair of extra, extra small blue and green plaid shorts and a blue tank top with Hello Kitty on the front.

"Uh, Holly?" she called out. Her friend rounded the corner.

"Yep?"

"Uh, just wondering… do my pajamas fall into the provocative category?"

Holly came over and looked at the shirt and short laid out on the sheets.

"No, they're fine. Why?"

"Well, they're kind of small…"

Holly smiled and put a hand on Haley's shoulder.

"See, it's just not okay for us girls to always use our lady parts to our advantage."

"So…?"

"Yea, but ya' see. It's totally fine on road trips."

Tina stuck her head around the corner. "Hey! Then how come you yell at me for doing it?"

"Road trips, Tina! All the girls in the movies do it, so it must be fine!"

Holly was wearing an outfit similar to Emily's and Tina had on a smaller tank top, but was actually wearing pants.

"_Now_ you tell me!"

Haley walked past Gary in the isle, without being noticed and she heard him walk into the girl's room and say, "Ooh, we having a slumber party?"

She was laughing as she walked into the bathroom to change.

When she came out, she had on her pajamas, as well as little blue and tan moccasin slippers with pompoms hanging off the sides.

Even with Holly's approval, Haley was still unsure about a few things, so she used her white fuzzy blanket to drape over her arms.

She ran over to the counter area to put a teakettle on the stove for a cup of tea, which she preferred over coffee. The sun had started to set and the sky had layers of pink and orange before turning into a dull black.

She was sitting on the couch when the three girls came over and sat next to her.

"Sooo…." Holly said eagerly nudging her in the arm.

Haley smiled and shot her a confused look.

" 'So' what… extended really long?" she asked.

"Ya' feel like flirting with anyone?"

"What?"

"You interested in somebody?"

"… What?"

Tina was leaning on the wall and rolled her eyes. "For the love of God! Do you think anyone's cute!?"

Emily started jumping up and down flapping her arms up and down.

"Shh! Vince and Ben are sitting RIGHT THERE up front and Gary… where is Gary anyways?"

They looked around for a second, but paid no real mind to their friend's absence. Haley was in the process of looking underneath the couch, when she felt like someone was watching her. The three girls were smiling at her when she stood up.

"What?"

"Do you?" Emily asked leaning forward and giving her a suspicious smile.

Haley was silent, and used a whistling teakettle as an excuse to get up. With tea in hand, she smiled.

"I'll tell you when I'm certain.""When's that gunna' be?!" Emily asked jumping off the couch.

"Tomorrow." she said just as Gary fell out of the shelf where he was eavesdropping.

* * *

So I have a little confession to make… I kind of wrote this story about me & my friend, Emily. I know it said in the summary thing at the top of the first chapter that it was _for_ her, but I failed to mention that I actually put the both of us _into_ the story. Hehe? Who doesn't like to be put into one of their favorite TV shows every once & a while? ;D

*Clicky click*


	5. Midnight Conversation

Chapter 5: Midnight Conversation 

**It was around twelve when everyone had gone to bed. Vince and Ben were still upfront driving and it was only Haley who was still laying awake in her bed. Emily was sleeping on the bed underneath her and Tina and Holly were visible across from her. **

**Haley could hear their talking because it was so silent, not counting the gentle hum of tires over concrete. She couldn't make out their exact words, and it wasn't like she was eavesdropping, but their tones and distinct voices made it easy to tell who was speaking. **

"**I'm telling you, you took a wrong turn." Ben said in his accent. **

"**No. I did not. You just can't tell cause it's dark." Vince replied. **

"**Oh, and I suppose that yield sign really **_**was**_** the exit." **

"**God, I almost run off the road ONE TIME and I never hear the end of it!" **

**Haley heard somebody stand up, but the bus kept moving so she figured it was Ben. He was mumbling something under his breath and sounded bothered by whatever they were talking about. **

**She was debating whether or not to go talk to him. **

**He didn't seem to hate her or anything, but they hadn't talked that much so far. **

**Finally she decided that it was all worth a shot and hopped out of bed, straightened her shorts, grabbed that blanket, and walked over to the couch where he was watching a muted TV. **

"**Mind if I join you?" she asked motioning towards the couch with her hand covered in white blanket material. **

"**Oh, sure." he said moving over so she could sit down. The screen flashed pictures of some unfamiliar show and, by his expression, Haley could tell he wasn't really watching it at all. **

"**You… have no idea what this show is. Do you?" she asked smiling and squinting her eyes at him. **

"**Uh, no. Not necessarily." **

**A few seconds of starring at a soundless screen and Haley finally got up enough courage to ask, "Uh, not that it's any of my business but Holly said you didn't want to come down to New Hampshire. Why is that?" **

**She shrunk back into the sofa immediately after, wondering if she'd said something wrong. **

"**Uh, well. I guess. Holly persuaded me to come after all." He clasped his hands together as he talked for emphasis. **

**Haley just nodded along to the awkward conversation that she now semi-regretted starting. She stood up in one fellow swoop and he watched her put a teakettle on the stove to boil. **

**She flipped around realized he was watching her. "Uh, want some tea?" **

**He smiled and shot her a curious look. **

"**Are you just offering me tea because people in England drink it?" **

**Haley raised her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips. "For your information, I happen to like tea very much. I've had it millions of times before." **

"**I don't believe that." he stated. Haley knew he was trying to start a fake fight by the way he was smiling when he should've been doubtful. **

"**Well, I do so, **_**ha**_**!" **

**It wasn't until now that Haley realized her blanket had been left on the couch. Her bare legs showed in her pajama bottoms and the tank top was falling down a bit. **

**She quickly tugged it up. **

**She left the water on the stove and sat scrunched up on the couch. She wanted so badly to ask about what Holly had said to Val in the bakery. **

**She had said something about feeling bad because they broke up and he hadn't had a real girlfriend since. Haley was just thinking that it must've really hurt him when they broke up. **

**And to top it all off, she had this awful habit of saying the things she was thinking by mistake. "I feel so bad…" she whispered. **

**Ben looked over at her with wide eyes. **

"**Excuse me?" **

**Haley jumped off the couch, holding the blanket in front of her. **

"**Uh, er, nothing. I- I mumble. Sometimes." **

**Haley went to bound back down the hall when her foot got tangled in her blanket. "Ouf!" she yelled falling back onto the couch. Ben was up on his feet, and had been ready to catch her if she had fallen the other way, but he blinked a few times. "Are you alright?" he asked nervously. **

**She waited for the adrenaline rush to stop. The chemical rushed from her heart and pinned it's way down to her ankles. As soon as it ceased, she smiled. He shot her a confused look… **

…**and she started to laugh. Ben sat down next to her and smiled as she put her head down in the blanket to hide her amusement. **

"**Okay, okay! I'm sorry. It was just so… embarrassing!" she said biting her lip. He was looking at her and she eased up on biting her lip. **

"**Uh, I'm should probably get back to bed. I mean, it's already tomorrow and- I'll see you in the morning…" she said plainly. **

"**Yeah. Sure." he said. Haley stood up and walked back to her bed. As she climbed up the ladder, she heard the bus stop on the roadside. The TV clicked off and she heard Vince talking to Ben. The exact words were muffled but she heard her name from Vince. **

**Oh, great. He knew she was out there. Tomorrow morning was going to be rough. **

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**Review. Review or I will sick my pet unicorn on you. His horn. It's very, very pointy... **


	6. Vindication

Chapter 6: Vindication

**Haley was certain she was the last to wake up. **

**The sun was rising and the bus was still parked. She stretched and climbed down the short steps. She smelled breakfast and stuck the palms of her hands into her eye sockets in an attempt to wake herself up. "Toooooast…" she moaned as she walked into someone. **

"**Watch it girl. You gunna' kill someone." Gary said. Haley backed up a few steps and said, "Emilyyyyyy. Where are you?" Haley said slowly creeping into the kitchen area. Her hands were still over her eyes and she was trying not to laugh. **

"**I'm over here." **

**She removed her hands from her eyes and realized she was facing the stove. **

"**Oh." she leaned over Gary, who was cooking bacon in a pan, and stole a piece off a plate. **

"**Hey, I was gunna eat that, girl." he said pointing a fork at her. She turned her head around with the bacon between her teeth. **

"_**All**_** three packs?" she asked in a muffled tone. **

**Holly, Vince, and Tina were all sitting at the booth around the table. **

**Emily was watching something on the TV, but she didn't see Ben. **

**Haley scooted into the booth in the seat next to Vince. "So where's Ben?" she asked. **

**The three people didn't answer at first. Holly sipped her coffee mug, Vince smiled at the window, and as soon as Gary walked by with a plate of bacon, Tina grabbed a fistful and shoved it in her mouth as an excuse not to speak and to potentially prevent anything from slipping out. **

"**Damn!**_** Every time**_**!" Gary said throwing his hands up in the air. **

**Haley looked at the people avoiding the question. "What'd I say?" **

**Holly put down the mug and was the first to answer, a smile plain on her face. "Uh, well, Ben is still sleeping." Vince choked on a laugh. **

"**What's your problem? All you had to say was that." Haley looked over at shrugging Tina still chewing a mouthful of bacon. **

**They were still quiet and it took Haley a minute to realize what they were previously talking about before she had woken up. **

"**VINCE! YOU JERK!" Haley whirled around and grabbed a piece of bacon off Gary's plate before he could see, and whipped it at Vince. It stuck to his cheek and he scowled as Emily started laughing hysterically. **

**Tina almost choked on her bacon and Holly just smiled. "This.", Vince pointed to the bacon, "This was uncalled for." **

"**Well you shouldn't have been telling everyone that Ben and I were talking last night!" **

**Vince took the bacon off and shrugged. "What're you so worried about? It's not like you guys did anything." He made sure to stretch out the last sentence. **

"**Ah! Oh my God!" she whacked his arm. **

"**It's not a bad thing. I think Ben could use a girlfriend." Tina shrugged. **

"**Yeah", Holly agreed, "I've felt guilty after we broke. I mean, he seemed so hurt." **

"**Yes. You've now fixed something Holly has only managed to screw up." Vince said in a flat monotone clacking mugs with Tina's. **

**Emily walked over and kneeled at the end of the table and shot each of them a wondering look. **

"**What?" Vince asked putting down the mug. **

"**Well… we all need to take a shower and get ready and stuff for the day…" **

"**So?" **

"**Well, it's a line of seven people. Who gets to go first?" **

**Everyone looked at somebody else. Holly looked at Haley, Haley looked at Tina, Tina looked at Vince, Vince looked at Emily, Emily looked at Gary, and Gary was the first to make a mad bound for the bathroom. **

* * *

**I'm unsure as to why, but I kind of adore this chapter. Ahahaha, it makes me laugh. **

**Does it make you laugh? I'm not going to know unless you tell me by reviewin'! **


	7. Multiple Conversed Affairs

**Chapter 7: Multiple Conversed Affairs**

Haley had been fourth to get in the shower, after Holly, Vince, and Gary, and was now towel drying her hair, which she'd decided to leave naturally wavy today. 

She was wearing a tight blue lumberjack shirt with grey skinny jeans and an old pair of skater sneakers: Proper attire for a road trip. 

Emily's hair was dripping down her the back of her bathrobe when she came walking over to her bed to get clothes and makeup out of her bag laying on the bunk. 

"Hey, so I'm guessing you're thinking the same thing as everyone else, right?" Haley asked running some mousse through her hair. 

Emily shot her a puzzled look. 

"What?" 

Haley lifted one eyebrow at her apparent clueless statement. 

"Oh, come on. They were all talking about it this morning." 

"Don't know what you mean." 

"Last night!" 

"What about it?" 

"We were just talking!" 

"Wait… who're we talking 'bout?" 

Haley slapped her forehead. "_Impossible_." 

Emily sat down on the bottom bunk and began putting on a pair of socks. 

"You, know. You aren't the only one who had a conversation last night." she smiled tugging the dull pink fabric over her toes. 

Haley got a puzzled look on her face. 

"Excuse me?" 

"I had a conversation with Gary last night." 

"WHAT!?" 

Haley jumped up off the bed and almost fell into the other set of bunks as she hopped on one foot. Her friend stood up and gathered her clothes. 

"Relax. Just like you and Ben, it was a simple conversation."

Haley relaxed a little and placed her heels back on the ground. The naturally tended to rise up whenever she got excited or eager. 

Holly came into the room, a look of uncertainty on her face. 

"What's all the yelling about?" she asked starring at Haley's uncomfortable pose scrunched up into the wall. "They- Emily talked with Gary last night!" 

Holly looked at Emily, then back at Haley. Holly said, "It's a very small trailer. I'm sure if anyone had wanted to do something, we would've heard." 

"OH! Cause that makes it sooooo much better!" 

It was a reasonable statement and Emily shrugged and nodded. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down! Then how come I'm the only one getting teased this morning for that?" 

Holly and Emily exchanged looks, and then Emily plainly stated, as if it was an obvious matter, "Well now, Haley. It's only because Vince was the one to find out first and, knowing him, he must've made things seem less.. platonic between you two." 

"You only know that word because I taught it to you."

"And it's oh-so helpful!" she chimed going in the bathroom to change. Holly said, "Let's go see if Vince is lost yet, huh? Okay? Yeah…" 

Her voice and the way she lead Haley down the hallway by holding her wrist, made her feel like she was still in preschool. Sure enough, Vince had the map on his lap and was scanning the roadside's multiple signs. 

Haley grabbed the empty passenger seat and swung herself in it so both legs were dangling over the side. She could hear the shower running and that meant Tina was finally getting her turn in the shower.

Gary was sitting on the couch watching the TV and, at the same, attempting to unfold yet another map. 

"Hey, Driver Dan." Haley greeted him taking a peak at the map to see if she could figure out where they were. 

He ignored her joke and instead said, "You guys're just going to distract me and then it'll be your fault we get lost." 

"Let me offer this as a rebuttal-" Haley was interrupted by Holly saying at the same time, "Hey, Ben! This is awfully late for you to be waking up." 

Haley received an acknowledging elbow in the shoulder from Holly as she talked. 

This was already proving to be most problematic. 

Vince hadn't taken his eyes off the road, but Haley already saw the teasing smile quirking the corners of his lips. 

* * *

So I know I kind of push you to review at the end of every chapter. So this time I won't.

…Or will I? :o


	8. Compassion

**Chapter 8: Compassion**

"Hey. You missed breakfast, man. Gary barely got any of his bacon… girls kept eating it…" Gary said.

"Uh, Gary? Third person?" Holly asked.

"Just narrating the moment."

Ben was wearing a snug deep green shirt and a pair of ripped jeans he'd slipped on before coming out.

Haley leaned over the back of the chair, just as he plopped down on the couch.

Ben said, "I'm exhausted. I couldn't fall asleep until five."

"Why's that?" Vince said, a hint of amusement in his voice heard only by those who listened closely.

Haley just happened to be listening closely at that moment and gave him a shove in the arm.

"You suck sometimes." she whispered.

"I majored in sucking." he smirked.

Holly walked over and put a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Friends! Amigos! Let us not fight!"

And with that, Ben fell asleep on the couch. Emily emerged from the bunk area, fully dressed and ready for the day and looked down at Ben. She shrugged, scratched her head, and asked, "So what're we doing for today?"

Vince continued driving towards an outdoor mall that they had decided to stop at on the outskirts of Connecticut. Tina, Holly, and Gary sat at the booth and chatted about where they wanted to go while Emily and Haley sat in the girl's bunk room, gossiping about, well, _everything_.

"You still like Vince even though he's a meanie?" Haley asked picking a pistachio nut from the bowl and popping it in her mouth.

"I guess. You seem to know him better than I do so far." Haley nodded to her friend.

"Well, just because he's an stinker to me, doesn't mean he won't be nice to you."

"Sure. Okay, thanks for the phony reassurance."

"Any time, old buddy o' mine!"

Emily rolled off the bottom bunk they were laying on and peeked around the corner of the room.

"What're you looking for?"

"Just wanted to make sure Gary wasn't listening." she responded as she slid the thin door closed.

Haley was wondering why Emily had sat on the farthest bunk from her, the top bunk on the opposite side, when she realized it was Emily's way of taking a precaution.

She asked, "So you and Ben, mhm?"

Haley broke into a fit of waving her hands and shushing her.

"DUDE! Someone's going to hear you and your humungous mouth! What're you thinking!? I- Wait. I'm, uh, er…"

Emily was pressed into the corner of the wall, hiding from any stray blows to the head and raised one eyebrow towards the end of the rampage.

"Haley. You're stuttering. You only do that when you're nervous."

Silence.

"OH MY GOD! YOU GUYS TOTALLY LOVE EACH OTHER! I KNEW-"

Haley's shaking hand was now over Emily's mouth.

"Shut up."

She shook off the hand, revealing a devious grin.

"You do like him."

"He's a- a friend."

"Friend with benefits."

"Friends with… a lot in common."

"Everything in common."

"AUGH!"

Haley flipped off the bed in a huff and stormed back over to the other top bunk.

"You feel bad that he's exhausted. Like, in a cute way." Immediately after talking, Emily backed back into the wall and covered her face with her hands and, after a moment of silence, bought one hand down hesitantly.

"I'd feel bad for anyone who was exhausted. Well… anyone but Vince… "

The two sat in silence.

"More than anyone." she challenged.

"Just more than Vince."

There was a knock on the door and the first thought in Haley's head wasn't who it was, but if they had heard that, if any, of that conversation.

After a nervous glance between the two girls in the room, the door slid open and Tina came through, closing it behind her.

"Hey, uh, the shops are ahead. You guys coming?"

They exchanged another quick side-glance.

Emily had known her friend, Haley, forever and could tell when she was nervous, when she was eager, when she was lying, and when she wanted to stay behind until a certain _somebody _woke up.

"Uh, who's going?" Emily asked reading Haley's facial expression.

"Holly and I… Gary's getting dragged along to carry our bags… Vince has gotta fix up the siding of the trailer that's peeling off and I'm assuming Ben's not going since he's asleep."

At the end, she shrugged.

And then, a loud ring tone coming from Emily's pocket made the three girls scream out at the sudden noise.

Haley was gasping for air as the whole bus swerved to the side of the highway and Emily threw the phone against the wall.

Holly rushed in just as everyone stopped screaming, and Gary was right on her heels.

He ran faster and couldn't stop before running into her and tripping her in the small room. "Wha-" she yelled in midair.

"Whoops." Gary said as she spit her hair out of her mouth and shot him a deadly sideways glance.

The bus was now stopped and Vince's fast footsteps could be heard from the hall. He ran in shouting, "What?" and bumped into Gary, who immediately fell next to Holly.

Tina and Haley exchanged a wary glance.

"Uh, you tell 'em Tina." Haley said biting her lip and jumping behind the brunette. Tina look around, jumped over the people on the ground and ran down the hallway.

Realizing there was no real good way of saying it, said, "Well, uh, you see… it got real quiet, and then Emily's phone rang…"

They all starred at her.

"Then what?" Vince asked.

"It was loud…""So?"

"It, uh, scared us…"

If everyone in the room was an anime character, they'd had those oversized sweat drops on their heads right about now.

* * *

Just picture this happening on the show… Ahahahahahahaha.

Sorry this one's kind of long :b


	9. Retail Therapy

**Chapter 9: Retail Therapy**

It was windy on the hill where the outdoor mall was. Instead, since there was nothing better to do, everybody went to the mall.

"Well, I've gotta get some parts for the bus. They forgot to mention the wheel axel was states away from cracking off." Vince complained pointing to a parts shop near the other end of the mall.

Holly, Emily, and Tina (who dragged along Gary the pack mule) all decided to go to the boutiques next to them. Ben decided to go once he woke up from all the commotion going on in the back of the bus with Vince (even though he knew nothing about cars) and Haley tagged along (because her dad had taught her about cars a child) just to make sure they (and by 'they' I mean 'Vince') didn't screw-up and buy something that wouldn't help them.

A little bell rang above their heads as they entered the store. Decorative and ornate car pieces hung on the high red walls. Shelves lined the inside of the store, filled to the brimmed with parts even the owner probably didn't understand.

"What do we need to fix a tire axel?" Vince trailed off to himself.

"I know absolutely nothing about cars." Ben said. He was now wearing a pair of tan khakis and a blue shirt with a flag of England on the front.

Ben looked over at Haley, who hadn't yet answered Vince's question, who was now wandering the next isle.

"He's the one who thinks girls don't know a thing about cars and I probably know more than him. I figure I'll just let him figure it out."

Ben's face was covering in question.

"And what if he gets the wrong thing?"

"I won't let him buy the wrong thing. I just wanna make him feel silly."

He didn't object to that and the duo walked into another isle.

Vince, who was now at the end of the shelf, was reading a label on a tool of sorts.

"Uh, Vince?" Haley asked.

"What?"

"What're you trying to fix again?"

"The cracking wheel axel."

"You do know that container is windshield wiper fluid, right?"

Vince, not quite ready to give up, held up the other thing in his hand.

"But this'll help, right?"

Haley doubled over laughing, causing him to get partially annoyed.

"Vince," Ben said smiling, "Even I know that that's a window squeegee..."

Now they were both laughing as they walked away. Vince had no emotion as he swung the squeegee through the air, trying to figure out how it could be used to fix an axel.

"I don't see it!" he yelled after them.

Ben and Haley were now in the next room, painted blue with hollow motors hanging from the ceiling on steal cables.

"What're you getting?" Ben asked as Haley picked some things up off another shelf.

"Stuff for the wheel. Also known as THE STUFF VINCE COULDN'T FIND IF HIS LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!" she yelled making sure Vince heard.

There was a, "PUT A CORK IN IT!" from their friend in the distance.

Ben was looking at a wide variety of bolts when he heard a scream. He whipped around just as one of the ceiling motors fell from above, and landed just a few feet in front of Haley.

Her hand was covering her mouth and she had squished up against the shelf to prevent being squished herself.

After the adrenaline had stopped, the two exchanged wide-eyed glances and she knelt down to the pieces of metal littering the ground.

"Oh, _crap_!" she muttered shoving the machine over, to reveal a gigantic dent in the floor.

"Are you alright?" Ben asked rushing over.

Haley looked up at him with, what was possibly, the most innocent look on her face she could've created without meaning to.

Her blazing blue eyes were wide and blameless and she was biting her lower lip, leaving him speechless.

They kept in that exact stance until the manager and Vince came running around the corner.

"Oh my God, are you alright?" the older man in his uniform said helping Haley up off the floor.

"Yeah I'm -I'm fine. It didn't touch me."

Everyone looked up at the pieces missing from the ceiling. If it had hit her…

"What on Earth did you do?" Vince said, a tint of humor in his voice that only earned him a hit on the upper arm from Haley.

"Vince! I didn't do ANYTHING! It just… fell!"

"In the wrong place at the wrong time I suppose." the owner said, "What were you looking for over here?"

"Parts to fix a wheel axel."

"Well, please, as a token of our apology, let us fix your vehicle and pay for the supplies."

The three exchanged glances.

"Uh, sure… Thanks." Vince grumbled, his hand behind his head.

Vince, Haley, and Ben showed the two assigned employees where the bus was and, after further explaining the car troubles, they were told their vehicle would be fixed within the hour. "So… What do we do in the meantime…?" Haley wondered out loud as she chewed on her lip. She held her arms tight to her body as a freezing fall wind blew straight through her shirt and swept over the parking lot. "I think I should stay here with them." Vince said uncertainly, "Why don't you two go see if you can find Gary, Holly, Tina, and Emily? They should be around somewhere."

Ben looked over at Haley just as stopped shivering. She looked to him and said, "Sure. We should tell them."

"Come on." He said assuring, leading her away from Vince and the two men in uniforms working on the wheel.

Vince watched them walk away, shaking his head with a smirk on his face. He ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up slightly. He could tell something was up between those two.

And with that, he turned back to the bus and went inside to get his jacket.

* * *

So the tenth chapter is where I left off :b Literally. I ended with "**Chapter 10: **" Ahahaha. I'll update soon… maybe…


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